A quiet growl. Osiris turns his head to look toward Kaya, the female wolf with the most dependable sense of danger. The hybrid calls for a halt by pausing with one front paw lifted, Pahana coming to an immediate stop and Mukki trembling close to the giant. Ears scan the surroundings for the approach of an unknown, but the nose is quicker on the draw this time. The scent of a female carries itself on the bitter wind. The predator looks past the lantern trees to see the outline of a dark figure.

Her movements are graceful, a lady skilled in the art of movement, though the wolf cannot tell for sure if it is for battle or stealth. The steps are quiet, swallowed by the sound of the wind howling in his ears for a moment, golden eyes narrowing against the chill. The scent carried from her direction is neutral, snow and pine. Whoever this mystery mare was, she was a lady of the Basin or at least the North.

Above, Comadre hovers, violet eyes prying forward in the darkness toward the mare. Crimson, he says in their mind, flashing him images of her general build and color. "Let's go," Osiris grunts, stepping out into the light of the lantern, on the well beaten path covered in snow and ice. Shadows of the strange party form in, haloed in a dull gold of the trees. Paws crunch softly in the snow as the great wolf trots calmly toward the lady of black and red.

"Pardon me, miss," he calls toward her, baritone voice loud enough to crawl over the violent winds which tear through the raised planes of the steppe. "Might you hail from the Aurora Basin?"

Osiris comes to a slow and graceful stop, not wanting to encroach too closely upon the crimson and black fae. The hybrid had learned long ago that no matter how innocent his intentions were, strangers typically did not take immediately to his unique appearance, especially bearing the teeth and agility of a predator. He notices a moment of what appears like hesitation at his question, which is rather expected. Some strange wolf creature stops you in the middle of the night to inquire about your herd - what would you think?

Even the look upon her face in the dull light reveals the truth, though. This crimson maned beauty is indeed from the Aurora Basin.

Comadre swoops down from his place in the sky to land upon the thickly-furred shoulder of the great brute, confirming any suspicions the mare may have that Osiris was, in fact, part equine. Maybe knowing that the herbivore still resided somewhere inside the towering body. Whining, Mukki comes to sit next to Osiris's back leg, peering forward toward the dark mare timidly. At her comment, the largest of the beasts smirks, letting out a small chuckle. "Naturally gifted with an abnormally thick coat, yes," he says, his voice still rich despite the light-tone of conversation.

"I am Osiris," the wolf offers, wishing to earn some trust from this lady. "I hail from the Foothills, a member of the Grey. You may know of a contract between our lands," his eyes looking pointedly toward her, a gleam of gold in the frail light emanating from the strange trees. "A contract of brawn. If the Basin is preparing for any sort of scuffle, we would appreciate the forewarning," a smile on his lips at the end of his sentence, despite the darker content of his words. Osiris was a creature of the dark; it was his home, where he was more comfortable revealing such a smile.